Escape from LA: the rest of the story

Does anyone else remember The Rest of the Story, radio personality Paul Harvey’s daily syndicated segment? It started in 1976 as a collaboration between Harvey and his son, who wrote all the bits. They were a trifle over-wrought, but Harvey’s voice had a way of making them seem colloquial, like he was a neighbour relaying a bit of town lore over the back fence. I have vivid memories of listening raptly to each segment beside my mother in her white 1975-78 Volvo 245 DL station wagon, my skin slowly melting into the vinyl seat as we drove between West Seattle, where she worked, and the little Twin Peaks lookalike spot of unincorporated land, where we lived. Sometimes we’d keep the car running in the garage, just to hear the end. It was the best part about the AM radio station Mom listened to, which was all the wagon could receive. Everything else was just Bryan Adams ballads and call-in giveaways to Anthony’s Home Port. When she upgraded vehicles, we started listening to NPR exclusively. (88.5 KPLU, a station I still stream when I feel homesick.) But anyway, every time I hear the words “the rest of the story,” I think about that segment. If you play the clip up above, you’ll see why.

Speaking of the rest of the story: if you were at all curious about how my misadventures in San Francisco and Los Angeles ended up, you can read all about it here in Arcfinity 1.4. The title of the issue is “Forever Alone Drone,” and the theme is security. I talk about what it’s like have your wallet and passport stolen when you know more about security than the average bear. I also talk about my marriage, my separation, my status as an immigrant in Canada, and my immigration experience in general. It’s more of a memoir than anything else. I’m not sure if that will interest you, but there it is.

For something much shorter and free-of-charge, I also have an interview up at The State, wherein I talk about Dubai, Las Vegas, and the future of print.

Madeline Ashby has worked with Intel Labs, the Institute for the Future, SciFutures, Nesta, Data & Society, The Atlantic Council, the ASU Center for Science and the Imagination, Changeist, and others. She has spoken at SXSW, FutureEverything, MozFest, and other events. Her essays have appeared at BoingBoing, io9, WorldChanging, Creators Project, Arcfinity, MISC Magazine, and FutureNow. Her fiction has appeared in Slate, MIT Tech Review, and elsewhere. She is the author of the Machine Dynasty novels. Her novel Company Town was a Canada Reads finalist.